Construction toy



Dec. 5, 1967 l H. H. FEDERSEN 3,355,837

CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed Feb. 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m wg I N VE N TOR.#4244 PZOZEaZ/V l H. H. FEDERSEN Dec. 5, 1967 CONSTRUCTION TOY 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1965 lllllll Ill Unitcd States Patent3,355,837 CONSTRUCTION TOY Harlan H. Pedersen, 370 N. Lima, SierraMadre, Calif. 91024 Filed Feb. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 435,225 18 Claims.(CI. 46-17) This invention relates to toys and more particularly to aunique construction toy having a variety of simple structuralcomponents, fastener assemblies and accessories adapted to be assembledin a great variety of arrangements challenging to the manual dexterityand imagination of young people.

The invention toy construction kit comprises a plurality of structuralcomponents of varying length some of which are square and othersrectangular in cross section, and each provided with rows of uniformlyspaced openings. The square-section structural members have intersectingpairs of holes identical with one another and including a deep well anda shallow bottom provided with a small diameter axial bore adapted toreceive a threaded shank of a fastener component, a shaft or an axialunit. Desirably, a pair of the Well openings intersect one another.Other of the structural components are relatively thin and serve asconnecting struts and braces and their openings correspond in size andspacing with the axial openings through bottoms of the aforementionedwells. Still other of the thin members comprise plates or plaques ofassorted sizes each preferably provided with crisscrossing rows of smallopenings spaced apart similarly to the openings in the other structuralopenings and adapted to receive the shanks of the fastener members, andthe like.

The fastener assemblies include a cylindrical or spoollike memberfitting loosely in and exactly filling the wells. Each is provided Witha threaded axial bore at either end and a pair of diametric threadedbores at right angles to one another. The latter are positioned to lieintersect along the longitudinal center of the square structural memberswhen the cylinder is seated in any well. Thus a threaded bore is alwaysaccessible to a threaded shank member inserted through any opening fromany face of the square members. The threaded shanks comprising the othermain component of the fastener assemblies are of varying lengths andsome are headless while others are provided with a head. The headlessshanks are useful in connecting two cylindrical members together whileseated in the wells of adjacent structural members. Other accessorycomponents of the kit include disks, pulleys and wheels, shafts,spacers, thumb nuts, belting etc.

A feature of the invention is the fact that the fastener assemblies are,in general, located internally of the structural parts in theirassembled positions. The relatively large cylindrical member may beviewed as a nut having a series of threaded openings any one of which isadapted to receive and mate with the end of a threaded shank. In certainassemblies of the parts, the end of this cylindrical nut is clampedagainst the bottom of the well in which it is located while in otherarrangements the cylindrical member is held clamped against the Wellside.

Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide aunique and improved construction toy kit, components of which areadapted to be held in a great variety of assembly arrangements by simplethreaded fastener assemblies of a unique character.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a toy constructionkit having a plurality of similar structural elements of varying lengthsand shapes each provided with rows of openings adapted to seat andsupport fastener assemblies which are substantially concealed when usedto hold components together.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a construction kithaving a plurality of elongated rigit members provided with rows ofuniformly-spaced hole each including a deep cylindrical well having arelativelj small diameter hole through its bottom.

Another object of the invention is the provision of toy construction kithaving structural components pro vided with a series of holes andadapted to be assembler face-to-face, end-to-end, or with the end of onehelc clamped against a face of the other.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a top constructionkit utilizing fastener assemblies, including both headed and headlessthreaded shanks, and a nut some of which comprise cylinders having boththreaded axial and diametric bores intersecting with one another atright angles along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading thefollowing specification and claims and upon considering in connectiontherewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the invention construction kit showing thetypical components and accessories disassembled;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views on an enlarged scale takenrespectively on lines 2-2, 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cal fastener nuts;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a toy wagon assembled from kitcomponents;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale showing a detailof the front axle assembly; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view through one of a great variety ofjoints which can be assembled utilizing the versatile fastenerassemblies.

Referring initially more particularly to FIGURE 1, there is showntypical components of the construction kit arranged in the bottom halfof a shipping container 10 and made of any suitable rigid material aswood, molded rigid thermoplastic, or the like. Arranged parallel to oneanother in the upper left hand corner of this container are a pluralityof structural members of square configuration and varying lengths. Inthe lower left hand corner and along the side are other structuralcomponents of varying lengths generally similar to the square componentsbut rectangular in cross-section and suitable for use as struts andbraces. Thin plaques or plates 13 are also provided in varying size-sand each having rows of holes spaced apart similarly to the spacingbetween the holes in the other structural components. Centrally ofFIGURE 1 are both small disks 14 and larger disks 15 each desirablyhaving a recessed or grooved periphery useable to support a belt, toguide the disks along a rail or track, or other purposes. All disks havea central opening to receive a shaft, axle or fastener, and disks 15 arealso provided with additional holes spaced apart similarly to the holesin the other structural members.

The kit also includes the unique and important fastener assembliesincluding a plurality of threaded cylindrical nut members 17 and anassortment of threaded shanks of varying lengths, some being headlessand others having heads. Also provided are thumb nuts 20 for use on thethreaded shanks 21 and the threaded portions of rods 22 and cranks 23.In addition, the kit preferably includes an assortment of auxiliarlymembers, such as the journal boxes 24, rectangular member 25, washers 26and spacers 27, a crane hook 28, belting or line 29 and a suitable tool30 for use with the threaded fasteners.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 3 and 5, it will beunderstood that each structural member 11 of perspective view of one ofthe cylindriquare cross-section is preferably provided with rows ofpenings extending centrally along each face and having he configurationbest shown in FIGURE 3. As there hown, these openings include relativelylarge diameter 76115 32 opening through two adjacent faces 33, 34. Thesewells are arranged in pairs with their axes intersecting .nd lying atright angles to one another and to the longiudinal axis of thestructural member itself. To be noted [1 particular is the fact that thedepth of wells 32 is subtantially greater than one-half the face widthof member .1 but substantially less than the face width. The result ishat each well has a rather thick bottom 35 provided with tn axial bore36 loosely receiving the threaded shank of a astener 18. A similar bore37 is located axially of each :nd of members 11 for a purpose to bedescribed presently.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 it is pointed out that the :ylindricalfastener nuts 17 are made in one piece from tuitable material such asmetal and have a size exactly fillng the identical wells 32 in thestructural members. Thus he length of member 17 corresponds to the depthof wells 52 and their diameter corresponds to but is one or two milsimaller than the well diameter so as to slide easily into and out ofassembled position therein. Each of nut mem- Jers 17 is provided in itsopposite ends with a threaded axial bore 40, 41. In addition there are apair of threaded diametric bores 42, 43 which intersect one anotheralong the longitudinal center line of the structural member and at rightangles to one another when properly seated in wells 32. These importantdetails are made clear by FIG- URES 6 and 7.

Referring to FIGURES 6 and 7, it will be apparent that the describedcylindrical nuts and threaded shanks 18 may be assembled to one anotherand between construction members in a great variety of arrangements.Only a few illustrative assemblies are shown in these two figures, othertypical ones being shown in FIGURE 5. These representative modes ofassembly are believed self-explanatory. It will be observed that some ofthe components are held assembled by a headed shank 18 whereas othersare held together by a headless shank. See for example, the two lowerstructural elements 11 in FIGURE 7. These shanks can be assembledbetween aligned axial bores of nut member 17 or one end of the shank maybe threaded into a diametric bore of one nut and the opposite end intothe axial bore of a second nut member. In all cases, both cylindricalnuts 17 and either the headless or headed shank extending between thetwo nuts are concealed or lie within the confines of the structuralmembers. Occasionally the head of a headed shank will be exposed, as forexample, when used to secure one of the brace members 12 to anotherstructural component, an example of which appears in the forwardcarriage unit in FIGURE 5. It will be understood that all of thethreaded members desirably have a reasonably snug fit with one anotherso that the parts do not become unthreaded where it is desirable toavoid fully tightening the fastener parts. This has the advantage thatwhen it is desirable to have relative rotary movement of one structuralpart relative to another the threaded shanks can be left sufficientlyloose to permit this rotary movement without risk of the fasteners becoming disassembled during the use of the toy.

Normally a wrench or tool is not required in the disassembly or assemblyof the parts but instead proper manipulation of the structural partsbeing assembled can be utilized to tighten and untighten the fasteners.However, in certain cases a wrench is useful such as the screwdriver 30,the bit of which can be inserted in the kerf 44 transversely of one endof members 17 (FIGURE 1). A thin coin may also be used as a wrench.

The presence of the axial bores 37 at the end of the square structuralmembers ll permits either of their ends to be clamped either against theface of a structural member or in axial alignment with another. When thelatter mode of assembly is employed, it will be evident that squaremembers of any desired length can be assembled in end-to-end relation byselecting appropriate length subcomponents.

Journal boxes 24 are made in the configuration best shown in FIGURE 6and include a transverse opening 45 seating a bearing sleeve 46. Ashaft, crank, or axle may be assembled through these bearings.

Disks 14, 15 are preferably provided with broad rims having a centrallylocated shallow groove 48 seating a belt or mating with the top edge ofa rail or trackway.

While the particular construction toy herein shown and disclosed indetail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing theadvantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention andthat no limitations are intended to the details of construction ordesign herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A construction toy, comprising a plurality of elongated structuralmembers having rows of openings intersecting one another at spacedpoints along the length there-of, each of said rows of openingsincluding a first relatively-deep large-diameter portion and a secondcoaxial portion which is relatively short and small in diameter, aplurality of rigid connectors having a length and diameter to seat inand fill said first portions of said openings and be freely insertabletherein, said connectors having threaded bores opening axially into theopposite ends thereof and a plurality of intersecting threaded boresextending diametrically thereof, said threaded bores being adapted toreceive threaded tie shanks inserted through the second smaller diameterportions of said rows of openings to hold a pair of said structuralmembers clamped together in any one of a plurality of positions withsaid rigid connectors substantially confined within the faces of thestructural members.

2. A construction toy comprising a plurality of rigid structural membersconnectable in a variety of dififerent positions and arrangements byinternally threaded connectors and externally threaded tie members, saidstructural members having a plurality of transverse openingstherethrough comprising a first relatively long large-diameter portionand a second relatively short small-diameter portion, a plurality ofconnector members and a plurality of threaded tie members, saidconnector members corresponding generally to the length and diameter ofsaid first portions so as to be received loosely therein and having athreaded axial bore at each end and at least one threaded diametric boreextending transversely therethrough, said threaded tie members beinginsertable through aligned openings of two or more of said structuralmembers and adapted to be threaded into the threaded bores of saidconnector members and effective when tightened to hold said lastmentioned structural members in assembled relation.

3. A construction toy as defined in claim 2 wherein said connectormembers have a second diametric threaded bore therethrough and saiddiametric bores are located closer to one end of said connector membersthan to the other end thereof.

4. A construction toy as defined in claim 3 characterized in that saiddiametric threaded bores intersect one another in a common plane lyingnormal to the longitudinal axis of said connector members.

5. A construction toy as defined in claim 4 characterized in that theaxes of all of said threaded bores lie substantially at right angles toone another.

6. A construction toy as defined in claim 2 characterized in that atleast one end of said connector members is provided with a diametrickerf to seat the bit of a wrenching tool useful in tightening andloosening assemblies of said connector and tie members.

7. A construction toy as defined in claim 2 characterized in that someof said rigid structural members have four faces therealong lying atright angles to one another and having rows of said openings extendingtherethrough with adjacent pairs of said openings intersecting oneanother and lying in a common plane normal to the longitudinal axis ofsaid structural members.

8. A construction toy as defined in claim 7 characterized in that thesmaller diameter portions of said openings are in rows along two facesof said structural members and in that the larger diameter portions arearranged in rows along two other faces thereof.

9. A construction toy as defined in claim 7 characterized in that theends of said structural members lie normal to the longitudinal axisthereof include a bore extending therethrough axially of the structuralmember into the larger diameter first portion of the adjacent pair ofsaid intersecting openings extending transversely of the structuralmember.

10. An elongated rigid structural member of square cross section for aconstruction toy, said member having rows of similar wells along twoadjacent faces thereof, said wells having a depth substantially greaterthan half the thickness of said member and having a predetermineddiameter, the axes of pairs of said wells intersecting one another alongthe longitudinal axis of said member, and each of said wells having abore opening through the bottoms thereof and in axial alignment with thelongitudinal axis of the Well, the diameter of said opening beingsubstantially less than said predetermined diameter.

11. A structural member as defined in claim 10 including in each of theend surfaces thereof a bore similar to said first mentioned bores andextending toward one another along the longitudinal axis of saidstructural member and opening into the pair of wells closest to therespective ends of said structural member.

12. A fastener assembly for use in holding assorted components of a toyconstruction kit assembled to one another, said fastener assemblycomprising a cylindrical member sized to fill any selected one ofsimilar wells of the construction components and having threaded axialbores in the opposite ends thereof, a pair of threaded diametric boresintersecting at right angles to one another nearer to one end of saidmember than the other and intersecting one of said axial bores, and aplurality of threaded shanks selectively mateable with any one of saidthreaded bores, at least one of said shanks having a head at one end andat least one being headless.

13. A fastener assembly as defined in claim '12 characterized in thatone end of said cylindrical member has a kerf extending diametricallythereacross to seat a wrenching tool.

14. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 12 characterized in thatsaid threaded shanks are of assorted lengths, and the headless shanksbeing adapted to have their opposite ends threaded into any threadedbore of a pair of said cylindrical members to hold said membersconnected to one another.

15-. A kit of construction components adapted to be detachably assembledto one another in a variety of patterns to provide a variety of toyarticles, said kit including a plurality of components of differentsizes and shapes and a plurality of fastener assemblies for holding saidcomponents together, said components including a plurality of elongatedrigid members of square cross section having rows of Wells of apredetermined diameter opening through adjacent faces thereof, saidwells having relatively thin bottoms formed with axial openingstherethrough having a diameter substantially less than saidpredetermined diameter, said wells being grouped in pairs intersectingone another and the longitudinal axis of said rigid members at a commonpoint, said fastener assemblies including a cylindrical member adaptedto fit loosely in any of said wells and having threaded axial bores inits ends and at least one diametric bore positioned to intersect thelongitudinal axis of said rigid member when said cylindrical member isseated in a well thereof, and a plurality of threaded shanks adapted topass through said axial openings of said Wells and interconnect a pairof cylindrical members seated in wells of an adjacent pair of said rigidmembers to hold said rigid members assembled to one another.

16. A kit as defined in claim 15 characterized in the inclusion thereinof elongated rigid members of rectangular shape in cross section andrelatively thin compared to the thickness of said square members, saidmembers of rectangular cross section having rows of small diameteropenings therethrough spaced apart similarly to the spacings betweensaid rows of well openings and sized to receive said threaded shanks.

17. A kit as defined in claim 16 characterized in that said componentsinclude a plurality of disks all of which include a transverse openingthrough the center thereof, and at least some of which includeadditional transverse openings uniformly spaced apart by the samespacings as existing between adjacent wells in said rigid members andsized to receive said threaded shanks.

13. A kit as defined in claim 15 characterized in that at least certainof said rigid members of square cross section are provided with axialopenings therein extending into an adjacent pair of intersecting wellsand adapted to seat a threaded shank to hold another component of saidkit assembled against the end of said rigid member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,400,066 12/1921 Hurk 46-292,052,600 9/1936 Boss 46-16 X 2,850,064 9/ 1958 Rapata -32 X 2,861,38811/1958 Favaretto 46-16 FOREIGN PATENTS 605,774 2/ 1926 France. 214, 8215/ 1924 Great Britain.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

G. J. MARLO, Assistant Examiner.

2. A CONSTRUCTION TOY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RIGID STRUCTURAL MEMBERSCONNECTABLE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS BYINTERNALLY THREADED CONNECTORS AND EXTERNALLY THREADED TIE MEMBERS, SAIDSTRUCTURAL MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE OPENINGS THERETHROUGHCOMPRISING A FIRST RELATIVELY LONG LARGE-DI AMETER PORTION AND A SECONDRELATIVELY SHORT SMALL-DIAMETER PORTION, A PLURALITY OF CONNECTORMEMBERS AND A PLURALITY OF THREADED TIE MEMBERS, SAID CONNECTOR MEMBERSCORREPONDING GENERALLY TO THE LENGTH AND DIAMETER OF SAID FIRST PORTIONSSO AS TO BE RECEIVED LOOSELY THEREIN AND HAVING A THREADED AXIAL BORE ATEACH END AND AT LEAST ONE THREADED DIAMETRIC BORE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELYTHERETHROUGH, SAID THREADED TIE MEMBERS BEING INSERTABLE THROUGH ALIGNEDOPENINGS OF TWO OR MORE OF SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS AND ADAPTED TO BETHREADED INTO THE THREADED BORES OF SAID CONNECTOR MEMBERS AND EFFECTIVEWHEN TIGHTENED TO HOLD SAID LAST MENTIONED STRUCTURAL MEMBERS INASSEMBLED RELATION.